


Turn of the Season

by Tangerine



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Injury, Platonic Cuddling, Soup, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 15:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12707955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerine/pseuds/Tangerine
Summary: Four dragons embark on an adventure of great bonding.





	Turn of the Season

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foxinthestars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxinthestars/gifts).



> Story takes place between Chapters 58 and 59 of the manga, more or less.

_**i. white** _

It was Kija who happened to come across the woman (she was barely more than a girl, he thought, taking off his robe and wrapping it around her shaking shoulders). He'd been out scavenging, his sack full of potatoes and other root vegetables he couldn't identify but looked unlikely to poison anyone. Probably. Yoon would know. Kija had been told to accomplish a task, and he was determined to do it to the best of his ability. If nothing else, he assured himself, it was possible they had medicinal purposes.

Kija liked being helpful. It saved him from time he would have otherwise spent worrying.

The girl, whose name was Lena and who came from a northern village he had never heard of before, had walked for two days to find the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch. She explained this cheerfully as he carried her back to camp, mindful of her small frame and her obviously twisted ankle. 

She reminded him of Yona. 

“We can help,” he assured her. “We'd be happy to.”

“You're much less scary than the gossip implies,” she commented, staring up at him with a suspicious twist of her lips. “Are you sure you're one of them? I mean no offense, but we've all heard the stories.”

It wasn't worth getting offended over, really, and in her defense, his dragon and human hands were both covered by fluffy wool mittens (knit by Yoon, who was overly concerned about the imminent cold weather that grew more threatening every day). “I promise you, I'm a … a bandit. I can be scary.”

“If you say so,” she said, making a face that clearly said otherwise. 

They arrived back at camp within the hour, the girl cradled in his dragon arm, the sack of potentially poisonous vegetables carried over his shoulder with the other. She was immediately transferred into Yoon's care, with Yona quick at his heels, and he set about putting his haul into the crates that protected their food from predators (Hak and Jae-ha, notwithstanding). The latter watched him with a smirk.

That smirk, Kija had come to learn, never meant anything good. In fact, it usually meant teasing. 

Kija squared his shoulders and firmly told himself he would not blush, regardless of what Jae-ha said.

“She's very pretty,” Jae-ha murmured, innuendo laced in his voice, as he regarded Kija with droopy eyes. 

“Unlike you, I can help people without ulterior motives. Or outrageous flirting,” he added, thankful that Lena had not been rescued by Jae-ha, who flirted with everyone, regardless of gender, age or other numerous predilections. He sometimes even flirted with the people they were fighting, and if that actually seemed to work to his benefit (more than one bandit or soldier had become so flustered by Jae-ha's shameless advances that they had let their guards down long enough for Jae-ha's foot), well, Kija would never admit it. It was bad enough as it was; Kija did not want to encourage him in any way.

Jae-ha scoffed, tossing back his green bangs from his face. “Where's the fun in that? You never know.”

“You never know what?”

Jae-ha exhaled sharply, getting up from his perch and leaning over Kija's shoulder. Kija tensed, but Jae-ha simply patted him on the back and said, “You're a lost cause. Forget I said anything.” He reached over and grabbed a potato, brushing off the dirt. “I've been tasked with preparing lunch for Shin-ah.” 

Kija frowned. “Is Yoon _trying_ to kill him?”

Jae-ha laughed out loud at the question. “That's exactly what I asked, but it turns out when one of us rescues a beautiful injured woman out of the goodness of our hearts, the other dragons must suffer.”

“I'll help,” Kija said. One less thing to worry about, he told himself magnanimously. 

~~

Shin-ah was actually fine, but Kija still couldn't forget how he had looked, pale and bleeding and suffering the aftermath of the power of his eyes. They hadn't actually known each other very long, but he'd waited his whole life to meet him, and he really didn't want to lose any of them now. They hadn't even really _done_ anything yet. Yona still needed all four dragons to protect her on her journey.

“Jae-ha and I made this together,” Kija explained, handing the bowl of soup to Shin-ah, who took it with a small nod of thanks. Zeno looked at him with a fond expression, kneeling beside Shin-ah's sleep mat. Like Kija, he had spent a lot of time with Shin-ah as he recovered, and even though Shin-ah was practically at full strength again, neither of them seemed eager to leave him alone. “It's probably bad.”

“Probably,” Jae-ha agreed, lounging by the door on his side. “Kija added too many spices.”

Kija sputtered in outrage. “ _Jae-ha_ added a vegetable neither of us could identify!”

“It's good,” Shin-ah murmured, tipping the bowl to his lips and taking a careful sip of the hot broth before switching back to his spoon, picking up a stack of diced vegetables. Kija had always thought it would have been hard to eat with his mask on, especially when drinking because it rested so low on his face, but Shin-ah never seemed bothered by it. Unlike Jae-ha, he wasn't rude enough to beg him to take it off either.

“Zeno is very hungry, too,” Zeno said thoughtfully, almost to no one. 

“We made enough for everyone,” Kija assured him, as Jae-ha reached for the piping-hot cauldron and the stack of ceramic bowls beside it. It really was getting cold, Kija thought, blowing on his fingers.

~~

“She'll be fine with some rest,” Yoon told them later, eyeing Kija and Jae-ha's soup with a level of suspicion that Kija didn't think it warranted, “but Lena can't return to her village until her ankle heals.” 

“Her village needs help now,” Kija replied. “We'll go. The four of us. Us dragons,” he added uncertainly, as if that wasn't clear, and tried to ignore the small smile on Yona's face. “Things seem to be stable here for the time being, and I suppose Tae-jun and his group could provide extra help, if needed.” That last bit came out less convincing than he hoped, but while Tae-jun didn't exactly inspire confidence, Heuk-chi seemed competent enough. “Lena said her village is only two days away, and we move quickly. And didn't Yoon say he needed a bit more time in Katan Village before we move on?”

It all came out in an embarrassing rush, and he ignored the expressions on the array of faces staring back at him, ranging from amused to baffled, with Zeno and Yona at one end and Yoon, Jae-ha and Hak at the other. As usual, Shin-ah's mostly hidden face didn't betray much, and Kija still wasn't particularly good at figuring out what he was thinking. From the line of his lips, he seemed somewhere in between.

“That's a good idea, Kija,” Yona said kindly. “We'll be fine without you for a few days. Won't we?”

Hak shrugged. “We were fine before we found the White Snake. We'll be fine now.”

Yona clapped her hands together with a “great!” Kija wished he could muster the same level of enthusiasm. He wasn't sure why he had suggested it. He knew all four of them hated being away from Yona for any period of time, but it had seemed important, and well, the Thunder Beast was a pretty impressive fighter for not being a dragon. He ignored Jae-ha's glare and Zeno's grin and went to pack.

Shin-ah followed him quietly and betrayed nothing, as usual.

 

_**ii. blue** _

Yoon had made everyone fur-lined cloaks in preparation for the turn of the season, which he gave them on the morning of their departure. Shin-ah's was a modification of the pattern, missing the hood. He eyed it quietly before taking the heavy garment in his hands, bending down when Yoon reached up. 

“Your fluff will keep you warmer,” Yoon assured him as he wrapped Shin-ah in it, cinching it at the neck with a prim little bow. Yoon reminded him of Ao, who had been a little gruff in his demeanor, but Shin-ah had adored him anyway. “Please don't re-open your wounds. I'm strongly opposed to this.” 

Jae-ha laid an arm over Yoon's shoulders. “Relax, mother. I'm invested in protecting his pretty eyes.”

Yoon made a dismissive noise and waved them off. They had said goodbye already to Hak and Yona, who were busy listening to Lena's stories of living in the north, the unique troubles they faced up there and how the impending winter was even more of a threat than the group of bandits at their doors.

Shin-ah handed Ao to Yoon, who lifted his arm so Ao could scurry up his sleeve to perch on his shoulder, and then they were off, the four dragons, on what Zeno called their “adventure of great bonding!” 

Shin-ah, who was still weaker than he was comfortable with and was concerned he would have a negative impact on the outcome of their mission, went along with it. He was, after all, a dragon, and the idea of being left out was basically intolerable to him now. He'd already had a lifetime of exclusion. 

~~

It had taken Shin-ah a long time to get used to the noise of being around other people. Even now, with just the four of them, it seemed loud. Kija and Jae-ha had apparently decided without discussing it that the hours would be spent bickering loudly over a wide variety of topics. It was radically different from what life with Ao had been like and the absolute complete opposite of what it had been like after him.

Zeno, who had been walking beside him for the entire journey so far, remarked with his usual good cheer, “it's so fun listening to Kija and Jae-ha fight so wholeheartedly about so many things, isn't it?”

Shin-ah nodded, because it really was. 

“He's wrong about everything,” Kija protested. “I think he just says things to get a reaction from me.”

“Kija is the only one who responds to it so easily,” Zeno replied peaceably.

Jae-ha chuckled, jumping back to land between Shin-ah and Zeno. “You should be more like the blue dragon,” Jae-ha said, placing a hand high on Shin-ah's back. He tried not to flinch, but it had taken him a long time to get used to the touching, too. Jae-ha squeezed him lightly. “Okay, bad example. Like _Zeno_.”

“Zeno is immune to teasing,” Zeno assured him.

“We'll see,” Jae-ha replied. 

Shin-ah smiled under his mask, sinking deeper into his cloak in case Jae-ha mistook that for encouragement, but Jae-ha seemed to be content with the way things were. The terrain under their feet was rough and barren. No signs of animals or vegetation or people, not for the last few hours. The more Shin-ah saw of Kouka, the more he understood that his village had been luckier than most. There had always been enough food, medicine and shelter for all of them. Not an abundance, but enough.

He and Kija had led very sheltered lives, he had realized quickly. Jae-ha and, to an extent, Zeno were much more worldly. Someday, he thought, he would ask them what they had seen in their lifetimes.

~~

It began to snow lightly, and it was just enough of a distraction that none of them saw the trap Jae-ha walked right into, his leg – his _human_ leg – disappearing with a sickening sound into a nest of sharply carved wooden spears and other hidden dangers. A trap meant for food, Shin-ah understood immediately, but this area had been abandoned a long time ago, and the trap had been left waiting. 

Kija dragged Jae-ha out of it by the armpits, and they all immediately gathered around him, protecting him from the snow. His leg looked bad, Shin-ah thought, kneeling down in the dirt. Jae-ha looked straight at him, pale and pained, and said wistfully, “before I die, I want to see those gorgeous eyes.”

Kija groaned. “Stop it, you aren't dying. Shin-ah, don't listen to him.”

“I'm not,” Shin-ah said softly. 

Jae-ha sighed dramatically then winced. Zeno helped Kija remove the pack from his back. Between the three of them, they managed to stop the bleeding, Zeno packing the wounds with gauze, unfazed by the blood, and stabilize his knee with two pieces of wood bound together with strips of white bandages. 

“Can Jae-ha stand?” Zeno asked, sliding under Jae-ha's left arm and motioning to Kija to do the same with his right. At Jae-ha's nod, they helped him to his feet, where he swayed unsteadily. “But Zeno doubts Jae-ha can walk.”

“Don't worry about me,” Jae-ha insisted, sweat beading on his forehead. “I can keep up. I'm fine.”

Shin-ah looked around, eyes narrowed between his mask, forcing his eyes to find what he knew had to be near. Traps meant people; people meant shelter. “There's a village close by,” he said, “there.”

Zeno looked in the direction he pointed then nodded. “Good, good! We'll rest there for the night!”

“Good,” Jae-ha agreed and wilted like a flower between Kija and Zeno's arms. 

~~

Forbidden from helping bear Jae-ha's weight as they stumbled towards the village only Shin-ah could see, Shin-ah went up ahead to ensure it was truly abandoned. It was. Whoever had lived here were long gone, either to disease, famine or something less grim. Maybe, he hoped, they had simply moved on.

Shin-ah found the least damaged house: the one that still had most of its roof and shutters on the windows to block the howling wind. There was a storm coming, he realized, but at least the storm would protect them from any roving bandits in the area. He would still stand sentry if they asked him.

He started a fire using all the wood he could find, grateful Ao had taught him how to even though he had been very young at the time and more eager to play than learn. Shin-ah dragged the mattress off the bed, setting it closer to the hearth, then began collecting anything that could be used for blankets.

Outside, he found a cart that could easily be fixed. Another skill Ao had insisted on, showing Shin-ah how to build many different things, not just castles out of sand and rocks. It could easily hold a man, Shin-ah thought, testing out the wheels. They could take some of the bedding with them when they left.

He heard them before he saw them, Jae-ha on his stomach, hanging in the fist of Kija's dragon hand. They were fighting loudly over the situation, Jae-ha pushing ineffectively at Kija's fingers, Kija lecturing him on being very ungrateful, and Shin-ah clapped a hand over his mouth before he laughed. 

He wasn't fast enough. 

Jae-ha stopped his protestations, a green eyebrow arching. “Oh, I heard that, Blue Dragon.”

“Zeno finds it very hilarious too,” Zeno said, helping Kija settle Jae-ha onto the mattress. 

“I'm glad you're all so amused,” Jae-ha said airily. “You owe me now for laughing at my pain.”

“Do you ever stop?” Kija demanded, to which Jae-ha shrugged, his bangs obscuring one droopy eye. 

As Shin-ah stoked the fire, Kija worked on a soup for dinner and Zeno tended to Jae-ha's leg, washing it clean and bandaging it with fresh cotton. Sprawled on his back, Jae-ha kept one arm across his eyes and said nothing else, not even when they all sat down to share the meal. The quiet was unnerving. 

“Everything will look better tomorrow,” Zeno said, mostly to himself.

Jae-ha just turned his head away, like Zeno had not spoken at all.

 

_**iii. green** _

Jae-ha woke once in the night, roused by the ache in his leg and the heat of Zeno's body tucked against himself like a warmed brick. In the past, he would have felt stifled by the sleeping arrangements, with Zeno cuddled under one arm and Kija under the other, Shin-ah's arm stretched across Kija with his hand resting protectively on Jae-ha's belly. He wouldn't have accepted it at all from Captain Gi-gan's crew.

But here it was tolerable, almost welcome, in a strange way he did not want to acknowledge yet.

In the morning, they were still folded together, the dying embers of the fire barely emitting warmth. When Jae-ha exhaled, he could see his breath. He glanced at Shin-ah over Kija's silver hair before reaching over to settle his mask more firmly on his face. On his other side, Zeno was awake, watching him. He didn't say anything, and Jae-ha was struck again how old Zeno sometimes looked in his eyes. 

Jae-ha allowed himself a few more minutes of physical comfort, laughing a little to himself. It was a strange day, he thought, when cuddling platonically with three grown men was his idea of a good time.

“It is good to see Green Dragon smiling,” Zeno said, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. 

Jae-ha exhaled sharply, flexing the toes of his human foot then wincing. “I can't fight on one leg.”

“Zeno is sure there is another solution,” Zeno assured him then gestured at Jae-ha's leg. “If Zeno may?” 

Jae-ha nodded then sat up, urging Kija to turn in Shin-ah's direction. Kija immediately buried his face in Shin-ah's fluff, snuffling contentedly, and Shin-ah's hand moved up to awkwardly pat him on the back, careful of the sleepy white dragon. Jae-ha momentarily felt bad then got over it quickly. He had no doubt if Shin-ah truly wasn't interested in being spoken to or touched, he would let them know. 

Jae-ha supposed this was a time of learning for all of them, in their own ways.

His leg looked better in the daylight, though not by much. It was badly bruised and swollen, but the cuts showed no sign of infection and even the pain seemed manageable. He wanted a drink, but that was more to lift his spirits than to cure his ails. He had taken his human leg for granted. It wasn't his strongest leg, nor was it capable of saving or protecting people, but it was useful in its own right.

Jae-ha scrubbed a hand through his messy hair, thinking as hard as his brain would let him, then tried not to flinch when Zeno poured one of Yoon's vile medicinal concoctions over the worst of the cuts.

There had to be solution. There always was. Jae-ha had lived his life talking his way out of unwinnable situations. Ah, Jae-ha thought, closing his eyes as Zeno wrapped his leg up, and there it is. 

~~

Jae-ha proposed the solution after a few hours on the road. They still had half a day's journey ahead of them before facing an unknown number of bandits. Lena had been unsure of the exact count, except that the group had seemed to grow each day. Despite Kija's protestations, he could not fight them alone. 

“I actually could,” Kija muttered miserably, his dragon hand wrapped around the handle of the cart and dragging it along behind him, hitting every rock. “I was trained in combat as part of my education.”

“Zeno is always very impressed by Kija's obvious skill,” Zeno assured him, patting his shoulder. 

“I could help,” Shin-ah said again, despite having been shouted down a few moments earlier. 

Reclining in the cart, embarrassingly bundled up in an array of old blankets and linens, Jae-ha shook his head. “Only if we have no other options, and we're not at that point yet. My plan will work.”

Kija looked over his shoulder. “We should just scare them into leaving. It worked in my village.” 

“Because we're so intimidating right now,” Jae-ha replied. “A blue dragon with no stamina and a hole in his side held together with fishing line, a green dragon with one functioning leg only good for bouncing in place, and whatever it is that a yellow dragon does besides endless optimism and hunger.”

Zeno grinned, hooking his arm in Shin-ah's, startling him. “Two things Yellow Dragon excels at.”

“I just don't think it's possible,” Kija said. “Not even for you. You can't just … persuade bandits to stop attacking a village. It hasn't worked when we've tried in the past. Why would it work now?”

“I wasn't determined before,” Jae-ha replied, sweeping his ponytail over his shoulder with a flick of his head, lounging as if Kija's doubts weren't reaching him. “There are very few people immune to my charms. I just happen to be surrounded by all of them right now. You have to trust me. It will work.”

“Are you going to flirt with all of them?” Kija asked, sounding vaguely horrified by the idea. 

“If I have to,” Jae-ha replied airily. “Try not to act jealous.”

“I _wouldn't_ ,” Kija sputtered, his face the colour of beets, and Jae-ha relaxed into the pile of pillows with a satisfied laugh, feeling much more like himself. Kija really was the most fun to tease. 

~~

Jae-ha learned how to talk because of Garou. Garou had never stopped talking, and it took Jae-ha an embarrassing amount of time to realize he should be listened to instead of ignored and even longer to realize all Garou wanted was for someone to talk back, even if that someone was an ungrateful brat.

Jae-ha had talked his way and onto Captain Gi-gan's ship. He had talked his way into friendship with a motley crew of fishermen-turned-pirates, who had never made a big deal about his dragon leg. He had talked his way into more carnal activities with an array of willing participants, eager to experience all pleasures life had to offer him. The only thing he had ever really tried to talk himself out of was Yona. 

He spent the rest of the day going over everything he had ever learned from talking to people. When they set up camp near Lena's village, he laid by the firelight surrounded on all sides by protective dragons, unable to sleep, thinking. Thinking about the words he would use, the stories he would share. 

His leg ached, a constant reminder of what he had to do. 

“Will you please go to sleep,” Kija finally muttered, knocking his dragon hand lightly against Jae-ha's ribs. “You're keeping us all awake with your thoughts. You wanted us to trust you. We do. Go to sleep.”

Jae-ha smirked into the dim light. “Too shy to cuddle me when I'm awake?” 

“Too tired to be goaded into a response,” Kija replied sleepily, “but no actually. This is … nice.”

“Zeno and Kija would be happy to cuddle with Jae-ha and Shin-ah whenever needed,” Zeno added, radiating heat again. It was almost unnatural, Jae-ha thought, but he didn't think it was worth asking about. Zeno hated giving straight answers. “Both dragons always sleep better when the other is near.”

“I'll think about it,” Jae-ha said. “Or maybe I'll just claim Shin-ah and those lovely eyes for my own.”

He didn't expect Shin-ah to respond, but Jae-ha definitely heard a quiet agreeable murmur from that direction. Maybe he, like Jae-ha, had noticed the ease with which Kija and Zeno had learned to share their space in the tent and how sound they always slept together, Zeno snoring softly into Kija's ear. 

How had this happened, Jae-ha wondered, closing his eyes. He hadn't wanted any of this, and now he couldn't imagine living life any other way. A mystery to be figured out later, Jae-ha decided, like Zeno.

As if he had heard Jae-ha's thoughts, Zeno snuggled in more firmly, burning as hot as dragon's breath.

 

_**iv. yellow** _

As always, Zeno woke first. Sleep was a luxury, not a necessity, much like food, friendship or a million other things that Zeno had learned he could live without when he had to, but he preferred a more luxurious life. The longer he spent with the other dragons, the more he accepted that about himself.

Despite his bravado, Jae-ha was nervous, even as he waved Kija and Shin-ah away, insisting he was calm, and it was they who were making him jittery. Zeno tried not to remember them as they had been when they were children, when it had broken his heart to leave all of them (even Kija) behind. They had grown into fine men, he thought happily. Guen, Abi and Shu-ten would have been proud of them.

“Everything is easier with full bellies,” Zeno said as he prepared breakfast over the fire in hearth of the abandoned house they had settled in. Kouka Kingdom was suffering terribly, Zeno thought, worse than he had ever seen in his lifetime. “Please, everyone sit down and eat, before anything else.”

“I'm fine,” Jae-ha insisted but shuffled over to the hearth, taking the offered bowl. “People trust me.”

“The more you talk, the less convinced I am about that,” Kija replied, sitting down next to Zeno.

“I had the Thunder Beast drinking with me in less than a day,” Jae-ha pointed out,“and that was easy.”

“You make me want to talk,” Shin-ah said softly, his words spoken into his bowl. “Sometimes.”

Jae-ha gestured at Shin-ah, like that was the only proof he needed, and Kija rolled his eyes. They bickered for a while longer, Zeno trying and likely failing to hide his smile, before Jae-ha put down his bowl and announced they all had to wash up. “We have to appear presentable,” he explained sagely. 

Zeno warmed some water for them to bathe with then sat down by the fire, which threw just enough heat that bathing was tolerable, if not comfortable. This far north, not even the solid stone walls of this house could keep the wind out. He stripped to the waist then began to wash with the boiling water.

He looked up to see Kija, Jae-ha and Shin-ah all staring at him. 

“Zeno likes his baths extremely hot,” he explained cheerfully. 

It was a mistake Zeno had not made in thousands of years, but it was so easy to forget around them. 

They made him feel almost normal again.

~~

“Zeno will come with me,” Jae-ha said, leaning heavily on the cane Shin-ah had found somewhere. It was made of a dark wood and perfectly carved into a dragon's head at the handle. Not a day passed that Zeno wasn't impressed by the eyes of the blue dragon. “You odd looking ones stay back and cover us.”

“I am not odd looking,” Kija protested, “and neither is Shin-ah.” 

“You know what I mean,” Jae-ha said, motioning first to Kija's scaled hand then to Shin-ah's mask. “If and only if it looks like our murders are eminent, do I want either of you to interfere. And in Shin-ah's case, I want you to wait until it looks like all three of us are in trouble. I'm much more afraid of Yoon.”

“The Miss would also be very distressed if Blue Dragon was hurt again,” Zeno added helpfully.

“All this to say,” Jae-ha said, ignoring him as he squared his shoulders, “this will work.”

Kija sighed, but he and Shin-ah trekked off without further protest. Jae-ha took a deep breath then looked to Zeno, who nodded encouragingly. Still, Zeno watched as Jae-ha took his first tentative step, then his second, and his third, prepared to catch him if he fell, but the leg seemed to hold his weight.

With the swagger unique to the green dragon, Jae-ha walked straight into the bandit camp and loudly demanded to speak to their leader, much to the bafflement of the bandits themselves, all brandishing a variety of fearsome weapons. Zeno followed close behind, bemused and enjoying himself immensely.

~~

What followed was hours of discourse as Jae-ha talked and charmed, flirted and argued. He presented them with three bottles of liquor, which Jae-ha had given to Zeno that morning to safeguard. Zeno had accepted them without question. Jae-ha shared with them all the knowledge he possessed about commerce as a profession, prosperous under-used trade routes, and merchants to befriend and to avoid.

In short, Jae-ha did his very best to talk the bandit leader out of a life of crime and into an honest living.

The bandit leader, unsurprisingly, could not stop gawking. “And who are you again?”

“It doesn't matter,” Jae-ha assured him for the fifth time. “Let's go over the map again.”

Zeno bit his own lip, his fangs digging deep enough to draw blood, in an attempt not to laugh. He tried not to look at Jae-ha at all, who was reclined on a mound of pillows, arms spread over the back, legs crossed, eyes droopy, posture languid. The bandit leader, despite himself, responded to him like everybody else seemed to: that Jae-ha was clearly someone to be listened to and seek favour from. 

In the end, with a handshake, a stack of notes folded on top of the detailed map and two of the bottles of liquor still full to the cork, the bandit leader agreed with Jae-ha's assessment of the situation. Money was a tantalizing prospect and prosperity sounded better than the inevitable conclusion people in his profession usually faced. They had only become criminals by necessity, the bandit leader explained. 

“Try to be better,” Jae-ha said, with an air of authority under-tinged with something more dark and threatening. Zeno could tell the bandit leader sensed it, too. “We live in a world where fishermen become pirates, and farmers become bandits. But it doesn't have to be like that. Don't you agree?”

“I do,” the bandit leader assured him. “It's been a … _real_ interesting day. Please never visit me again.”

“Don't make me,” Jae-ha replied pleasantly. 

~~

Jae-ha made it beyond the sight lines of the bandit camp before his leg gave out. Shin-ah and Kija appeared out of the trees as he started to fall, sliding under his arms and dragging him to the waiting cart. Zeno removed his cloak then stripped off his sweat-soaked robe and the black undershirt beneath. Kija offered his spare robe, which Shin-ah carefully dressed Jae-ha in before gently laying him back. 

“I need a drink,” Jae-ha mumbled, face twisted in pain. “Every inch of me hurts. I hope that worked.”

“I'm convinced it did,” Zeno assured him, ignoring the three startled glances at the subtle change in his speech. Some day, Zeno thought, some day he would tell them everything about him, but not today. “The Miss and the others will be very impressed by the tales of the dragons' grand adventure of bonding.” 

“You were incredible,” Kija said, burying Jae-ha in a pile of blankets topped off with Yoon's cloak.

“It was amazing to watch,” Shin-ah added. 

Jae-ha cracked open one eye, a smile on his lips as he regarded them through the fringe of his green bangs. “Flattery will get you everywhere. That's your first lesson at Jae-ha's school of social etiquette.”

Kija groaned. “I'm never saying anything nice about you again. As if your ego needed to be bigger.”

“Too late,” Jae-ha replied in a sing-song voice. “I have witnesses. I'm incredible.”

“Zeno thinks you're all incredible,” Zeno said fondly, draping one arm across Kija's shoulders and the other across Shin-ah's, dragging them in for a hug. Without a word, Kija and Shin-ah both reached out and took hold of Jae-ha's hands. “Zeno is so happy the dragons are all together.” Finally, he thought. 

_Finally_.


End file.
